Friday, November 20, 2020

BugBite Ankle / Calf Holster 1 year review


Bugbite Ankle (Calf) holster 1 year reviewDisclosure: I do not work for this manufacturer. I have NOT been provided a review unit nor any compensation. This holster was purchased with my own money and a discount code I found in a magazine. Also this is a little long. I explain my use case and modifications Iperformed to get this holster to work for me.TL;DR: Great holster but its not for every weapon or body type. Would recommend if it fits your needs.I am the lead for of a roomfull of operators in manufacturing. That puts me high enough up the management chain to spend part of my night behind a desk and part of it crawling around inside house sized machines doing maintenance or repairs.My employer has a gun free zone policy so printing or even the possibility of accidental contact is a hard no go for me. Besides accidental contact or flashing I had previouslt cracked a variety of kydex IWB deep conceal and hybrid holsters from laying or pressing on them while squeezing into tight spaces against hard machine surfaces. Also printing/flashing was a serious concern.For me that really put me in concealment / compression shirt territory or ankle holster territory. Both are extremely slow draws due to the nature of where the gun is located. This contingency is for those times when I can’t use my feet to exfil.I hated every ankle holster that I tried. Carrying around the ankles just isn’t comfortable, not to mention awkward. I ran across the Bugbite from an advert in G&A magazine and it had a 15% off coupon.My initial impression was that the holster wouldn’t stay up. At the time I was carrying a Doubletap derringer and even as light as that was I felt the holster bouncing around my leg in a way that would make me concerned the pistol might slip out if I was in a awkward position inside of a machine (all positions inside of a machine are awkward so worrying about your pistol sliding out of your pant leg is a real concern).The picture on the packaging showed some chicken leg guy with the holster in a more traditional position lower on the leg. I am a muscular guy and I definetly don’t skip leg day so I decided to try wearing the holster much higher on my leg. I pulled the holster up to just below my kneecap and it was instantly like sliding on a wet suit.The holster has a velcro strap around the top to tighten the holster around your leg. It wasnt designed for this position on the leg so I stopped by the fabric store and picked up some sew on velcro returned home and ran a couple quick stitches down the length of the strap to extend the velcro strapping area with whatever thread was in my machine.After this modification I was able to strap the holster just below my knee and above my calf. Once zipped the combination of the neoprene rubber and the little rubber dots inside the holster keep it securely in place. This is important because not only are you fighting gravity to keep the holster in place but also the shock of the weapon being jostled while you are walking running or in odd positions.The holster has a pocket for a spare magazine or speed strip. I tried it at home and decided I would rather keep a spare speed strip or magazine closer to my hip than leg. I do keep a mini flashlight in that pocket and it has turned out to be more useful than you can imagine.I initially carried a DoubleTap pistol (2 shot derringer) in this holster due to its slim profile. This changed after I took it to the range to perform a regular function check of it and couldn’t get one of the barrels to fire regularly. That gun was very ammo sensitive but when it wouldnt fire one of the barrels reliably I replaced it with a Bond Arms Roughneck in .357 which is much wider and heavier than the doubletap but its a much more reliable pistol and it eats whatever I put in it without hammer firing both barrels. (That is a nasty surprise when you aren’t ready for it).Pistol and pant choice are important factors when choosing this holster. Too wide of a pistol and your pant cuff will not clear the holster and gun. I don’t find printing to be an issue at all where I carry it on my leg and the way my pants fit, it fits neatly in the folds of the pants wether I am sitting or standing or walking.No additional straps are used to secure the weapon. The compression from the neoprene against my leg provides enough retention even when I am inverted. I am setup for weak hand draw so that puts it inside calf on my right leg.The holster pocket can easily accommodate whatever you want to stuff in it. Again the limiting factor is going to be you calf size + weapon and your cuff diameter. It easily accommodates the bulldog of a pistol that the Bond Arms is so any single stack pocket pistol or small frame revolver will work. Because the Roughneck is a single action pistol the hammer could be considered a snag hazard if you don’t practice drawing it and clearing the hammer and break action lever it could cause problems under stress if you aren’t familiar.This holster is inexpensive, easy to clean (I sink wash it by hand on my days off) and comfortable for all day wear. I’m good for up to 16-18 hours daily wear before I’m ready to take it off but have worn it as long as 48 hours continuously with no discomfort.Now having said that. After a year of nearly daily wear it is showing signs of wear, so I have happily ordered a replacement.This holster isn’t for everyone. It will not fit all body types or weapons comfortably. It is in fact the slowest way for me to draw unless I am sitting down. It works terribly with shorts. And I wound up getting an ankle IFAK to help balance my other leg out. I actually ordered one for my left leg so I can NY reload, or make the weight difference between my legs less noticeable.When absolute discretion is a must and for someone like me who crawls around inside of hard machined spaces on the daily this is by far the most comfortable rig I have for this situation.If you have these considerations or spend a lot of time sitting or driving you may want to give this holster a shot. via /r/CCW https://ift.tt/3nEOx89

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